President Donald Trump signed legislation on Wednesday calling for sanctions against those responsible for the repression of Uighur Muslims in China's far western region of Xinjiang, the White House said in a statement.

The bill, which passed the US Congress with only a single 'no' vote, was intended to send China a strong message on human rights by mandating sanctions against those responsible for the oppression of members of China's Muslim minority.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China threatened retaliation after U.S. President Donald Trump signed legislation on Wednesday calling for sanctions over the repression of China’s Uighurs, as excerpts from a book by his former national security adviser alleged he had approved of their mass detention.

The bill, which Congress passed with only one “no” vote, was intended to send China a strong message on human rights by mandating sanctions against those responsible for oppression of members of China’s Muslim minority.

President Trump on Wednesday signed legislation authorizing sanctions to punish Chinese officials responsible for human rights abuses against the country’s mostly Muslim Uyghur minority.

Trump quietly signed the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act without a public event.

The White House announced the bill signing about an hour after bombshell allegations in former White House National Security Adviser John Bolton’s forthcoming book that Trump told Chinese President Xi Jinping he approved of “concentration camps” used to detain thousands of Uyghurs in western China.